If only they knew
by the-one-lonely
Summary: The war is over, their friends, their Village, everyone wants to get them together. If only they knew, they were together all along. Sasuke and Naruko have to resolve their problems after the war. Will the Village ever know their ship has already sailed? Two-shot! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello lovely readers! The second part will be uploaded in a week or two; it all depends on my editing muse. Enjoy!**

* * *

The war was finally over, many lives were lost. Konoha had many changes in store; it had to be rebuilt, a new Hokage had to be appointed, but most urgently, Naruko and Sasuke had to be taken to surgery. They both had suffered alarming injuries since they took on Kaguya before fighting against each other. The one person most interested in their recovery was Sakura, she wanted to break their bones without regrets; maybe next time, they would think of a more efficient way to end their love quarrels.

The whole Village knew they had a complicated relationship. Sure, the rivalry between them pushed them to strive for more; but the rivalry could only go so far, they had something going on between them. They could tell, since childhood. Sasuke always treated Naruko differently from other girls and the blonde always found a way to keep Sasuke's attention. Being assigned on the same team had only helped them get even closer. Even though they wouldn't admit it out loud, being on the same team had strengthen the bond that would, eventually, define their relationship forever.

As their heroes were being transported towards the hospital, the whole Village went silent. They could all see the fight's outcome; Sasuke's left arm was missing and Naruko lacked her right arm. Tsunade was waiting for them by the hospital's entrance with her apprentice, Shizune; they both had their arms crossed in annoyance. Once Sakura and Kakashi layed their comrade's bodies on the stretchers, Tsunade restricted the admittance of visitors; she knew Naruko's old and new fans would try to come in just to look at her goddaughter.

"Sakura, what happened?" Ino asked.

"Well, it all went downhill once we defeated Kaguya" the pinkette said "Sasuke wanted to destroy the Village" all her other comrades came in close to hear her tale "Naruko was against it, as expected; so they went to the Valley of the End to end their flirting, well, you know what I mean"

"Those two, I'll be losing the bet at this rate" Kiba was petting Akamaru as he spoke; the dog barked in agreement.

"That reminds me, who has already lost?" Sakura asked as she took out the betting list. Three hands rose in the air, Shino, Chouji and Ino. "Ino? For real?"

"I blame my romantic soul, I thought they would get together, at least for once, since we were facing the end of the world"

The rest of the Rookie 9 and the two surviving members of Team Guy sighed at Ino's reasoning. Both ninjas were geniuses in battle but so dense when it came to love cues. Hinata had made an effort talking to Naruko about her true feelings, hoping her blonde friend would understand how she felt about Sasuke; however, try as she may, Naruko couldn't find an explanation for her undying resolve to bring Sasuke back to the Village. On the other hand, none of the boys had truly become close to Sasuke while he was still in the Village and after he defected, it was even harder to communicate with him. The only person they could influence was Naruko and even then it was becoming fruitless. The bet was born after Kakashi's new team had their first mission; both rivals had reencountered and Sakura had seen the same spark between them as before.

"This fight has only pulled them farther from each other..." Hinata lamented.

"Is there something else we can do to help them realize they love each other?" Sakura questioned out loud. "In the meantime, I'm more concerned with their recovery, I have to teach them a lesson" she smiled evilly while cracking her fingers. Her friends sweat dropped at her comments, some even shuddered at her smile; there was no turning back for her, she had become a mini Tsunade.

* * *

"ko… Naruko"

The blonde blinked a few times trying to focus her gaze on the voice's source.

"Naruko, how are you feeling?" Tsunade asked.

"Baa-chan, don't be so loud" Naruko said while covering her eyes from the lights "Where's Sasuke?"

"I guess, since you're asking for that gaki, it means you're doing just fine" she sighed "Now, could you try to explain your 'brilliant' idea of fighting each other right after defeating an unbeatable goddess? Not even mentioning, losing your right arm?"

"He wanted to destroy the Village, I couldn't let it happen" Naruko said trying to get accustomed to the room's brightness. "I don't want any more reasons for which he shouldn't be allowed in the Village anymore, I just want him to stay"

"I can't see why you like him so much"

"Baa-chan, has Sasuke woken up yet?"

"He's fine, he's still asleep though" Tsunade replied while face-palming, she felt frustrated at the younger blonde. "Can you handle some visitors?"

"It's just Sakura-chan, right?"

The older blonde nodded with her head and opened the room's door letting her apprentice and Hinata in. The ravenette pulled a chair near her best friend's bed and sighed at the blonde's current health. Naruko was smiling nervously, clearly knowing what to expect from her two overprotective friends. She knew they both had issues regarding her missing arm. Both girls looked at each other, almost deciding who would scold Naruko first.

"What were you thinking?" the pinkette went first "You left us on our own and expecting the worst" she continued "were you not satisfied after defeating Kaguya? Did you really had to go and have another of your love fights?" Sakura was getting more and more agitated every time she spoke a word "Why couldn't you stop and think of how I would feel if one of you died? You didn't, right?"

"Sakura..."

"No Naruko!" Sakura yelled; she had tears streaming down her face "You are my teammates, almost siblings to me and I could have lost you both on a whim"

"Naru-chan, what Sakura meant is that you gave us all a good scare" Hinata was trying to help Naruko understand their feelings. "Even if Sasuke was trying to destroy the Village, it might not…"

"He was going to leave Hinata" Naruko murmured "He was going to leave me again, he can't let go of his hate" she said while looking at them "I want him to stay in the Village with me, how do I make him understand that?"

Both visitors looked at each other. '_They're both being so stupid right now_' they both thought.

"Sasuke's hate is so big he'd rather forget about our friendship than forgive the Village" the blonde continued "He's more than just my best friend, Hina-chan, you and I share a strong bond but with Sasuke, we're the same"

Both girls sighed, this relationship was never going to happen if both parts were still being stubborn and not realizing their feelings.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation later, neh, Naru-chan?" the ravenette said "You need to rest"

Naruko nodded with her head and watched her friends leave her room. '_Will you try to leave me again Sasuke?_' she thought. She dried her unshed tears and tried to fall asleep. '_He left me once, will he do it again?_' she thought '_I thought we could be together after defeating Kaguya but I guess the thought never crossed his mind_'

"I don't want him to leave" Naruko told herself before turning the lights off and making herself comfortable before closing her eyes.

* * *

Three days had passed and Naruko was excited to be leaving the hospital. Her wounds had been taken care of by Kurama but Tsunade wanted to make sure the blonde had a couple extra days to rest before she had to walk among the other villagers. She was not allowed to visit Sasuke while she was in the hospital. However, Sakura had been updating her of her friend's recovery. Sasuke had woken up a day after her but he wouldn't be leaving the same day as her. She was going to see him today before she had to leave; she wanted to see the aftermath of the fight with her own eyes.

"Sasuke?" she called after closing the door. The lights were off but she could feel his gaze on her "we have to talk"

Sasuke pulled himself into a sitting position and Naruko sat beside him on the bed.

"Why?" she asked.

"Itachi told me what really happened during the Massacre" he explained "Konoha is corrupt, even if I eliminated Danzo, who's to say he didn't leave a successor?" he said "Konoha is rotten, I can't let it rot you too"

"So, what was the plan?" Naruko was annoyed, Sasuke always had an excuse, he should know she wouldn't let anyone corrupt her. "Were you going to leave me again?"

"For a short time, yes" he said "I was going to gather my team and plan our attack" he explained "But I was going to come back for you, you know I'll always come back for you"

"And what would have happened to our friends?" the blonde asked trying not to get distracted by Sasuke's sweet words "You didn't think about Kakashi-sensei, did you? And Konohamaru?" she questioned "Sasuke, surely, you must have known I would be against you, right? There's no way I would have stepped aside and let you burn down the Village"

"I would have waited for you to leave Konoha before attacking" he replied almost immediately "We would have only attacked the Council; destroying the Village was meant to be a symbolic retribution for all the hatred you and I have suffered"

"I couldn't let it happen"

"I know, I was foolish to think you wouldn't try to stop me" Sasuke stared at her profoundly "I don't know what I'm going to do now"

"I do" the blonde replied "You'll stay here with me and we can live in your old house and fix the District so other people can live there too"

"I'll think about it, I just want to get some sleep now"

"I beat you real bad, didn't I" she mocked him "You've been defeated by the future Hokage, you should feel honored just by fighting me"

"Hn"

Naruko rolled her eyes; sure, Sasuke was more talkative with her but all Uchiha were proud and wouldn't let another shinobi make fun of them. The blonde closed the door as silently as she could and sighed all the way out of the hospital. She hoped the villagers would leave her alone while she walked to her apartment. She trembled at the memory of her days after defeating Pain.

* * *

"We're all gathered here to witness the last Uchiha's testimony, Sasuke Uchiha" Shikamaru's voice filled the whole room in which Konoha's Ninja Council was gathered.

The Council was formed by all the Village's clans, they were represented by their clan-heads. Some seats were taken by the new generation; Ino, Shikamaru and Shino all greeted each other with a nod. After a whole week of being a prisoner in Konoha's hospital, Sasuke finally felt the rays of light on his skin for a few minutes before being dragged to stand in front of the Village's Ninja Council. He was escorted all the way by Anbu.

"We are listening Sasuke" Shikamaru spoke again.

"I'm a defector" he began "there's no valid excuse I could give you for leaving the Village when I did" he continued "I was young, I didn't know the whole truth behind the Massacre that took my family" he said "Itachi made a difficult choice; his brother or his clan. As expected, he chose me without a second thought" he said "Revenge blinded me and hate only fueled my desire to kill my brother" he said "at the time, I thought leaving with Orochimaru was the best decision I could make if I wanted to be strong enough to avenge my family"

"What about your actions after the war" Shikamaru asked "Why did you want to destroy the Village?"

"Konoha is corrupted" he didn't hesitate with his answer "You may not be corrupted but the Citizens' Council is, the Hokage's advisors are, the villagers are..." he changed his gaze towards Naruko "Naruko and I, the Village has made us suffer a lot, I wanted to rebuild it and leave all the bad blood behind"

'_It figures! Of course Naruko would be the main reason behind his irrational thinking_' the Council had the same thought, all except the aforementioned blonde.

"Anbu!" Kakashi, the Rokudaime, called "Remove him from the room, we have to deliberate"

"What do you think?" Shikamaru asked after Sasuke left the room.

"I don't think he wants to leave again" Ino replied.

"We can't let this go unpunished" Hiashi replied "Young or not, Uchiha was a genin when he defected, through our eyes, the eyes of a shinobi, he was an adult right then"

"Being a genin doesn't guarantee a proper level of maturity" Shino said "We can't compare a preadolescent's maturity with that of an adult"

"What are you suggesting we should do then?" Tsume, Kiba's mother, asked "He might not have been mature enough but he's still part of the Village's shinobi, what example are we going to be giving to the others if we don't punish him accordingly?" she said "Besides, Uchiha has offended other Villages and he made that decision when he was older; we can't keep shielding him by saying he wasn't mature enough to be making that decision"

"He has been forgiven..." Naruko murmured but Tsume's sharp ears could hear her clearly.

"He was forgiven because of the war!" Tsume replied "We had to be united if we wanted to stand a chance against Madara, had it not been that hard, Sasuke Uchiha would be the most wanted ninja in Kumo"

"Mah, mah, we don't have to think about something that is not going to happen" Kakashi said trying to calm everyone down.

"We have to think about his punishment" Tsunade regained the Council's attention "Hokage-sama" she called "we're the Council, we're supposed to provide you with counsel but the punishment must come from you"

"We should seal his chakra away" Hiashi proposed.

"There's no way..."

"Naruko!" Kakashi silenced any complaint immediately "If you want to be the next Hokage, you must learn when to treat everyone as equals; had this been any other shinobi, you wouldn't be defending him as you've been doing for Sasuke"

"Yes, Rokudaime"

Kakashi knew that was all the respect he was getting from Naruko. He sighed before dictating his judgement. "We are not sealing his chakra away, Hyuuga-san" he said "Sasuke was a key element in Kaguya's defeat, without him, Naruko wouldn't have been able to seal Kaguya away" he continued "Sasuke will serve Konoha for the rest of his days; without Jiraiya-sama, we are in desperate need of a Master of Secrets"

"Rokudaime-sama, how is this a punishment for Young Uchiha?" Choza asked.

"Akimichi-san, Sasuke has always wanted to be like his big brother" Kakashi replied with his distinctive eye-smile. "Itachi was an Anbu Captain" he said "Sasuke will never be allowed to become an Anbu" he said "no successor can revoke his punishment" he was looking straight at Naruko, she pouted "Any objections?"

The blonde knew she couldn't object; if you asked her though, she would tell you she felt that she was being punished too. Kakashi called the Anbu back and told them they could retrieve Sasuke so he could hear his punishment. Sasuke took to the center of the Council once he re-entered the room.

"I've decided your actions during the war cannot acquit your crimes against Konoha" Kakashi said "Itachi loved the Village and I think, if he were here, he would like his only brother to protect the Village he loved so much" he continued "Some wished your chakra would be sealed away" he said " but the way I see it, you have two options here. The first, Naruko seals away your chakra and you continue a normal civilian life; or, you take charge of Jiraiya's work and protect the Village"

"May I think about it, Rokudaime-sama?"

"This meeting is adjourned, we'll meet again tomorrow to hear your decision" Kakashi replied "You may all return to your duties; Naruko, Sasuke, you both are staying"

They all left, one by one, the clan-heads curtsied at the Hokage before leaving both students and their sensei alone. Naruko was not a happy camper, she was more annoyed after hearing she would be taking part in Sasuke's punishment; being the last Seal Mistress in Konoha was not the best title right now.

"You both know the reason why I asked you to stay behind" he said "I've known about this relationship for years" Kakashi stopped any replies with his hand before any of the two could talk "Please, I'm your sensei" both ninja blushed "Good, Minato-sensei has threatened you before but I wanted this to be clear" he was serious now "He might be dead but I'm very much alive" Sasuke crossed his arms in annoyance. "Also, Sasuke, Jiraiya travelled for inspiration" Naruko snorted at the implicit reason why Jiraiya left the Village so many times. "Being the Master of Secrets doesn't necessarily mean you have to stay away from Konoha for so long" he explained "It means you have to make sure that the spynet stays in course and expand it if you can"

"I'm guessing there's more you want to tell us Kakashi-sensei" Naruko was anxious.

"Sasuke, the Village will not forgive so easily as some of us" Kakashi replied "The people forget in time and sometimes, they even miss someone" he said "I would like you to take a few years away from the Village, perhaps three"

"But..."

"I believe this will be a learning process for you too, Naruko" Kakashi interrupted her before she could finish her complaint "Sasuke, I want you to think about everything that has happened and I want you to choose by yourself if you really want to be a part of Konoha" he said while staring at Sasuke "Naruko, I don't want any distractions during your training, you want to be my successor, don't you?"

"I'll be the next Hokage?" the blonde was excited.

"You also have a decision to make" Kakashi said "You stay and learn from me and after three years I'll consider giving you the hat; or, you leave with him and you leave the position to someone else" he said "Discuss this and make a decision; if you don't have one by tomorrow, I'll be making that decision for you"

* * *

They had managed to avoid their friends and the villagers that wanted to speak to Naruko. After the fight with Pain, Naruko had become a 'celebrity' among the Village. Of course, there were still some that hated her because of Kurama but there were even more people that actually appreciated her and everything she had done for them. They walked until they reached the Uchiha District and took off to the Main House. They cleaned in silence, at least the rooms they were going to be using.

"We have to talk Dobe" Sasuke spoke after they finished their dinner.

"I want to go with you"

"That's out of the question" he replied immediately "I won't let you lose your chance to achieve your dream" he said "I've already harmed you enough, I mean, look at you! I took your arm from you, I can't take your dream as well"

"You are forgetting, Teme, I paid you back in your own coin" she motioned for his missing arm.

"Naruko"

"Fine, let's be serious then" the blonde sighed "Sasuke, we've been apart for three years now; we can finally be together but all you want to do is leave again" her heart was in her mouth, she couldn't pretend he wasn't hurting her anymore "You can't kill Itachi, you can't destroy the Village, you have no excuse to leave me!" she yelled "You're free now, why can't you choose me?"

Her sobs broke the silence in the living room. Sasuke went to her and carried her to the sofa. He took a seat and place Naruko between his legs.

"I need to leave Konoha for a while" he replied "I need to think about everything that has happened, I need to forgive the Village" he said "Naruko, surely, you must know how much I'd love for you to come with me but your dream is more important than what I want" he took her hand and kissed gently "You've worked so hard to get that hat; I could never forgive myself if Kakashi chooses someone else because you decided to accompany me on this trip"

"It doesn't matter"

"It does" he said "Being Hokage has been your goal ever since I met you, I have to help you reach it"

"We could leave and never come back"

"You don't mean it, you love Konoha too much" he said "We've been on our own for three years, what's three more years?" he said while kissing her cheek.

"You've said it yourself" she teased "it's been three years and the first kiss I get is one on the cheek?"

They had reached an agreement, they could both live with that.

"If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask, Dobe" he teased in return.

"Teme..."

Naruko tried to nag but Sasuke had sealed their lips together, silencing her attempts. She had asked for it anyways. They both tasted their hidden feelings ever since the war started and they had met again after he had spoken to Itachi one last time. They hadn't had the time to reconnect and satisfy their needs since the world was on their shoulders, they knew they would get to talk after they ended the war. He took her by her neck trying to let her know how he truly felt about her and trying to engrave in her skin how much he would be missing her when he had to leave again. He wasn't capable of showing such a vulnerable side to anyone other than her.

"There's one more thing we need to discuss before we go to the room" she said breaking the kiss and looking really serious "If you don't come back to me after three years, just, never come back" she demanded "Sasuke, if you don't return to me in exactly three years, I'll never want to see you again; I'll lock these feelings and never speak about what happened between us" she took his head in her hands and stared at him "Promise, please, promise you'll come back"

"I promise"

The night was their witness, the sole witness to a deal between two lovers. The moon shone its light on their bodies, as they promised to reunite in exactly three years. The darkness was their comfort after they sealed the promise they both swore to keep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry, it took longer than I expected; life distracted me and I lost inspiration; I made so many changes but I ended up not liking them and I had to change them again. Anyways, it's done, I hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

'_He's coming home today_' that was Naruko's first thought as she awoke from her sleep.

Sunlight was coming through her blinds and it was shining on her face. She stretch herself before getting out of bed and she let some air in by opening her window. She was excited, it had been three long years since Sasuke had left the Village and she had started her 'training' with Kakashi in order to take the hat from him.

'_The bastard didn't even send a letter or anything to remember him by_' she lamented herself. She knew her Teme wasn't the most caring person in the world '_but he could have at least tried_'. She swore she would pulverize him the next time they had a spar.

Naruko left the Uchiha District, she was walking towards the Hokage's office. That had been her routine for the last three years; getting up, acknowledge one more day had gone by, having breakfast, promise herself she would whack her bastard once he came back and walk to the Hokage's office for a new day of 'training'.

Sure, her kunoichi training hadn't stopped: she had even become Team Seven's newest sensei. She had taught her favorite student, Konohamaru, and his friends Udon and Moegi for two years before they had become Chunin. She had taken a lot of guarding missions and even more political missions across Villages.

Since she was to become Hokage, she had to maintain the political allegiances that were made to fight through the Fourth Shinobi War. In Naruko's words, she had the opportunity to visit her friends and call it 'work'. Gaara had tried to convince her to stay with him in Suna; mainly because he didn't like the Uchiha being with his best friend. _He's not good enough for you_, the Kazekage had told her, _I can't fathom your other friends shipping you together_.

Gaara was the only one, among her foreign friends, that though the couple should split. He was also a member of a select group of people that knew of her relationship with the last Uchiha. _It's too obvious, I can't understand why your friends haven't noticed yet_, the redhead had laughed at her friends after hearing Naruko's predicament. She had told her foreign friends that Konoha couldn't even conceive the thought of them being together. Her friends cornered her almost daily to talk about her obvious feelings for the black haired boy; but they couldn't realize their obvious relationship.

Hinata did more of the staring rather than the talking, but Naruko was impressed and slightly offended because her best friend hadn't noticed that her 'ship' had already sailed a long time ago. Of course, Naruko wasn't the most observant person, but even she knew that what was going on with Sasuke was more than a rivalship. Sure, said rivals hadn't _formalized_ it per se, but they both knew the other was it for them; no one else could rival their feelings for each other.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei" the blonde said while opening the doors to Kakashi's office. Naruko didn't take too long to notice the other figure speaking to her sensei and ran towards it. "Teme!" she yelled as she hit him hard on his arm "you should've gone home first you bastard"

"Ma, ma, I'm still the Hokage Naruko-chan" Kakashi mocked her "we were about to finish, you didn't have to yell so loudly"

"Hn"

"Don't start with me Teme" she threatened him "not even a letter, not even one of your eagles!" she complained "you and I are going to have a serious conversation later today" she cracked her knuckles in a threatening matter. Sasuke would never admit it out loud be he gulped and trembled in fear. He knew what was coming for him.

"You can take the day off Naruko, we'll resume your training tomorrow" Kakashi said "I'll be expecting your report by the end of the day Sasuke" their sensei took out his special Icha Icha edition signed by Jiraiya himself and start reading it after dismissing them with his hand.

* * *

"Naru-chan!" both lovebirds stopped in their tracks after hearing Hinata calling the blonde. "Welcome back Sasuke-kun" Hinata greeted the black haired male.

"Hina-chan, can't we talk later?" the blonde asked "there's something Sasuke and I must resolve first"

"Sure" her friend replied "but you have to come to Ichiraku's right after you finish talking, okay?" she said "we'll see you there, don't take too long!"

Hinata went straight to the ramen shop and, even though Naruko couldn't refuse a bowl of her precious ramen on any other given day, she had to make her peace with her Teme. They both decided the quickest option to go home was to jump across the Village's ceilings in order to get to the Uchiha District without any further interruptions. Once they reached their destination, Naruko placed a seal to limit the entrance to anybody that wasn't them. She had been surviving through three years without seeing the bastard, she had to have her fill.

"Okay, now..." Naruko closed the door and looked at Sasuke "Teme..."

Naruko jumped into his arms and he carried her in his arms while she hugged him. The short space between them was closed by embracing each other the only way lovers knew how to. He smiled once they caught their breaths.

"That being said… could you try to explain yourself bastard?" she said "Why would you cut me off like that?" she asked "I even had to resort to sending Gamakichi after you just so I could make sure you were still alive!"

"Then you know why I had to _disappear_"

"Still Teme, you had the time to report back to Kakashi-sensei at least once every six months" she reminded him "or at least you could've asked him to send me as support, we could've get rid of the menace together"

"I sent that message once the menace was taken care of"

"Are you sure there aren't any Akatsukis left Sasuke?"

"I'll take care of them too if they so happen to be" he replied "but, I'm pretty sure they're completely obliterated by now"

"Fine, I forgive you" she said and got nervous all of a sudden "Does this mean that you're going to stay?"

"Hn"

"I need a proper answer Teme, ple" Sasuke cut her off with a kiss.

"Is that enough of an answer to you Dobe?" he smirked at her once he saw her blushing.

"Teme..."

At the end, they didn't bother to catch up with Hinata and the others. They had to get reacquainted with each other first. Besides, it was their fault for not noticing the obvious.

* * *

"Naruko!" Ino called her blonde friend once she saw the couple walking by. "We waited for you for like two hours, what happened?"

"Gomen, gomen" the blonde apologized "we got caught talking about our adventures and by the time we realized what we were doing, it had already been too late to go back" she said "we thought you'd already be gone"

"Mou" Ino complained "It'll have to be postponed for another day"

"Sure"

The blonde said goodbye and went to catch up with Sasuke. He had not waited for her and decided to keep walking once both blondes started talking. She took his hand and interlaced their fingers as they kept walking and talking between them. The gesture was not noticed by the taller blonde, who went back to her shop as if nothing had happened.

"Teme, why did you leave me behind?" Naruko complained.

"Hn" he clicked his teeth in annoyance "you were talking with me, it's your fault for going to talk with her"

"Are you jealous now Teme?" she mocked him.

"Hn" he let go of her hand and walked faster to leave her behind, once again.

"Wait for me Teme!"

* * *

"Ah, Naruko, Sasuke-kun" Sakura greeted them outside the hospital. She was about to go look for them but she was happy she didn't have to bother after all. She missed their interlaced hands.

"Sakura-chan!" the blonde greeted her, Sasuke didn't bother to do it. '_Again with this? They want to keep her attention from me_' he thought.

"I was about to go look for you guys, Tsunade-sama was getting impatient"

"Baa-chan is being her usual self as always" the blond chuckled "Eh? Where did that Teme go?" Sasuke had, once again, left his companion after losing her attention and was now walking through the hospital's entrance. "We'll catch up later Sakura-chan, Baa-chan is going to scold me if she sees him walking in first"

"Those two..." Sakura sighed with frustration once she saw their figures entering the hospital "Sasuke, could you be any more obvious?" she laughed at herself "How much longer do I have to wait before you get together?"

* * *

"Brats" Tsunade greeted the couple once they entered her office.

"Baa-chan"

"Gaki!" the older blonde complained "How many times do I have to repeat myself? Don't call me that!"

"Just tell us why you wanted to see us Baa-chan"

"You annoying brat" she complained again "I found a way to reconstruct your missing hands" she announced "do you want to have them back?"

"Sure" the blond was excited.

"No" Sasuke was being his stoic self.

"Eh? Why not Teme?" the blonde asked.

Sasuke sighed before he replied to his partner. "Because it reminds me of all the things I did wrong" he said looking at his missing hand "If I were to have it back, I would forget all the pain I caused, I can't do that"

"But..."

"I won't back down Naruko"

Tsunade didn't intervene, '_It would have been a pain in the ass to make his cells adapt to Hashirama-oji-san's_'.

"There are some final touches I need to take care of but I think we'll be set for the surgery next week" the older blonde said.

Naruko nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

"Are you sure there's no way I can change your mind Teme?" she asked once they were back home.

"No, just leave the matter alone"

"But..."

"Let me bear with this, please"

It wasn't the first time Sasuke had asked her for a favor, but it was the first time she had heard him being as sad while doing it. She nodded in defeat and hugged him.

"Okay, I won't insist" she said "but I want you to remember that the surgery will be available if you change your mind"

"Thanks Dobe"

* * *

"This way!"

Sakura's voice was louder than the other ones in the restaurant and the blonde had no trouble finding the source of it. She walked towards her teammate and her other generation mates before taking one of the last seats available in the table. It had been hard to convince Sasuke to come with her but she had managed after some blackmailing. She sat next to Shikamaru and Sasuke sat next to her.

"We already placed an order, it won't take too long" Choji explained; they were eating at his family's restaurant after all.

"Are you ready to have me in the office tomorrow Shikamaru?" Naruko asked.

"What a problematic girl" he complained "I thought I had more time to get used to the idea of you being the next Hokage"

"I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Let me put it like this, I'd rather work with the Rokudaime than you" he replied "I don't want to be your babysitter and go look for you after you get bored"

"Mou, Shikamaru, it can't be that bad" Ino tried to defend her but it was a futile attempt "Naruko has had three years to become more mature, can't you have a little more faith in her?"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd lived what I've lived these past three years" Shikamaru complained again.

"The announcement is tomorrow, aren't you excited Naru-chan?" Hinata asked.

"It's gonna be one of the best days of my life Hina-chan" the blonde smiled at her best friend "Having you all next to me when it happens makes me even more happy" that last bit she said while staring at her Teme.

"Hn" Sasuke deviated his stare and folded his arms "I've already apologized"

"And I've already forgiven you Teme" she stuck out her tongue in a childish matter.

"You've accommodated to the house well, right?" Shikamaru asked.

"Of course, that Teme has almost no clothes so I got to keep a lot of space in the closet" Naruko said "I should donate my dresses though; I've only used them once to meet with other representatives and I don't see myself using them again"

"I've told you you could be needing them later on Dobe" Sasuke told her "you'll have to visit and host at some other time, it's better if you already have the clothes to do it"

"You can always cast a Genjutsu over my regular clothes and call it a day Teme"

"Yeah, I forgot I'd have to accompany you to these meetings" the black haired male complained.

"You'd forgotten it already?" she asked "Teme, you have to be my companion, who else is going to do it? Shikamaru?"

"Hn" Sasuke folded his arms again and threw a killing glare towards Shikamaru.

During all the exchange among rivals, the others were getting more confused by the second, they couldn't understand what was going on. '_Is this some sort of prank?_' they all thought. Ino, being a sucker for gossip and the most curious among the lot, decided she would have to ask.

"How come you're living together guys?" Ino asked "Are you sleeping in the same room?"

"Of course we are Ino-chan, why are you asking?" Naruko replied.

"Naruko, I'm sure Kakashi told you to keep an eye on Sasuke-kun but surely he didn't mean you had to have him sleeping next to you too" Sakura said "I'm sure he's not deserting again"

"Oh, I know he won't Sakura-chan" the blonde smiled at her friend. "But he still has to sleep somewhat comfortable while he finishes refurbishing his parents' house"

"Naru-chan, don't you think it's a bit strange you're sleeping in the same bed?" Hinata asked.

"Why do you say so Hina-chan?"

"Well, because that's what couples do Naru-chan" Hinata said trying not to blush. They were having this conversation as if Sasuke weren't in the same table as them!

"But we are a couple" Naruko reasoned.

"You're a couple of rivals Naru-chan, it's not the same concept" Hinata said.

"How troublesome" Shikamaru couldn't keep quiet anymore, the blonde was laughing at her friends and was losing a bet "Don't you get it?"

"What?"

"Pay up Shikamaru" the blonde laughed at her black haired friend.

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you connecting the dots?" Shikamaru was losing it.

"They've been oblivious for years, do you really want to have this conversation again?" the blonde asked.

Shikamaru handed her the money and sighed at his friends' stupidness.

"They are a couple!" he yelled at them "They've been a couple ever since Sasuke deserted!" he told them "get it?"

A long silence was in place, their friends were trying to process the new piece of information.

"Eh? Naru-chan!" Hinata looked at her laughing friend "How couldn't I tell?"

"You guys think I'm too stupid to notice the obvious" she said; she wasn't complaining, she had made her peace a long time ago. "I may not notice some things, but did you really think I would let him leave just like that?"

"Dobe..."

"Nothing of that Teme" Naruko cut him off.

"Well, at least I don't have to pay everything by myself" Shikamaru said "you guys are going to have to give her the bet's money"

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"Because, even though I was not officially in the bet, I did tell you they were a couple before the 'end of the world'" Shikamaru explained "you didn't want to hear it and you didn't even consider it"

"Pay up!" the blonde laughed at her friends again "Serves you right, never bet against an Uzumaki guys"

* * *

**Well that's it. I might have rushed the ending and I think Shikamaru was a little OCC, but that's what fanfiction is all about. I'm sorry for taking too long. I hope you don't hate me for this. Take care, these are hard times.**


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